The Mystery Woman
by OnAWhim28
Summary: Ian's past interferes with a pursuit of a suspect. -Rewritten as of 4/3/18 and completed.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I decided to give this one a rewrite. It's been awhile since I have written anything and after reading this I wanted to make changes so here it goes!- Slight changes to chapter 1 and 2. Major revisions after that.

For those who haven't read this yet-Yes another Ian Edgerton fanfic. It's fun to write. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money off of this. Just taking the characters out for a spin.

* * *

The shot seemingly came out of nowhere. Even Ian was taken back. He didn't know of any other trackers on this side of the mountain looking for McHugh. Ian had doubled back in order to surprise the pharmaceutical company's hired gun while Don edged up on their target. No sooner had Ian taken out his prey did he hear the crack of a high powered rifle. He turned looking for Eppes to make sure he was alright, and caught sight him staring down at McHugh who wasn't moving. For a second he thought Eppes had taken him out. But Ian knew the rifle Eppes was carrying didn't make that sound, and Eppes looked just as confused as he was.

Ian moved deftly down the hillside to Eppes who was still in a bit of shock at the sudden turn of events. Both he and Eppes called over their radios to see who took the shot, but no one was coming back claiming responsibility. Ian scanned the body then the hillside. It was a perfect drop shot. An impressive shot for anyone considering McHugh had been running from Eppes at the time. Ian knew there wasn't much time to figure this out and though he had a pretty good idea of where the shot had come from, he wished Charlie was here to narrow it down faster. It would take a little while to find the exact location and by then the sniper would be gone.

A low whirl caught both Agents attention. A black chopper came into view, skimming over their heads and heading in the direction Ian knew to have a clearing. "Shit" Ian swore under his breath and both Agents took off in the direction of the chopper. Making it to the clearing, Ian and Don took shelter behind some trees and sized up the situation. The chopper had landed but the rotor was still going. Both readied their weapons and with a nod of Eppes head, they emerged from behind the tree line as a figure cut through the brush toward the waiting chopper.

"Freeze, FBI" Eppes yelled. The slim figure dressed in camouflage pants, a green shirt and baseball cap with a rifle slung across the back froze and lazily raised both hands. The door to the chopper swung open as well as the window to the pilot and Ian and Don found three firearms pointed back.

"Turn off the chopper and lower your weapons." Don tried again.

This was going to go down real fast Ian thought if those boys decided to shoot. The figure in the middle of all this slowly turned, glasses obscuring the eyes and a bandana covered the mouth. Ian sucked his breath in. Don watched in shock as Ian lowered his weapon.

"Ian what the hell" shouted Don over the hum of the rotor. The woman in front of them slowly put down her hands, her smirk evident despite the bandana.

"Don't move" Don hollered as the woman took steps backward toward the door. With one step Ian was standing between the woman and the business end of Don's weapon. Don's eyes got even bigger but he holstered his weapon almost immediately and the chopper carrying the mysterious woman took off.

Don grabbed hold of Ian by his collar. "What the hell was that Edgerton?" Ian pushed Don off easily and stalked back into the tree line with a grim look on his face, annoyance clearly evident. "Why are you pissed Eppes? I've been the one traipsing through the woods tracking this guy."

"Why am I?" Don sputtered. "An innocent man was just shot dead and you stepped in front of his killer."

"How about a thank you? You wouldn't have been able to take her Don. They would have popped your brain box if you tried. If you want some answers you better keep up."

Don looked at Ian unsure. The sniper may have always come through for him and his team in the past, but Ian better have a good explanation for his actions. Don thought he had come to know the elusive sniper but clearly there was more to Ian's past than Don knew, though he wasn't really surprised. Not like Ian was the sharing type. From Colby, who practically ran Ian's fan club, he knew the man was a legend in Afghanistan, the kind Army Rangers talked about over camp fires. He also knew he was the best damn tracker the FBI had ever seen and one hell of a shot. But other than that, what did Don really know about the man? Reaching the SUV, Don climbed in just as Ian hit the accelerator, deciding to place his trust in the bastard son of John Wayne and Yoda once more.

Speeding down the mountain, Don's knuckles were going white from holding onto the handle above the passenger side window. And people thought he drove crazy. Don called Charlie to let him know he needed to stay where he was. Not knowing exactly what was going on, Don decided he wasn't going to call this into the FBI until he had a better handle on the situation.

Don lurched forward as Ian hit the brakes as they peeled into what appeared to be an abandoned airstrip, but for an abandoned airstrip there sure was a lot of activity. A large cargo plane sat on the tarmac, and the black chopper wasn't far away. Don heard his cell phone go off but chose to ignore it as a large man came out of the hanger and Ian was out of the car. As the two agents approached, the man stood with his hands raised in front of his chest as though trying to defuse the situation he knew was coming.

Ian strode right up to the man and his right fist cracked against the unknown man's jaw sending him stumbling backward. The man stood up and spit the blood out of his mouth. "Yeah okay I might have had that one coming" he said.

Ian's eyebrow raised and his lips were pursed as if to say "you think?"

"Where is she?"

"Mind filling me in here" Don piped up looking between the two men who were sizing each other up for another go.

At that moment, the woman from the mountainside came sauntering into view, a bag thrown over her shoulder as she made her way to the plane. Don immediately moved toward her but he found both men blocking his path.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on here but she's coming with me." Don's phone went off for a second time.

"You're going to want to get that Agent Eppes. Not a good idea to ignore your boss" the unknown man advised.

Don was caught off guard by the fact this man knew his name and eyed him warily. "Eppes" he snapped as he answered the phone. "Yes, Sir. I understand Sir. But. No Sir. Yes sir." Don hung up the phone and pushed it back into his pocket. "Langley, NSA?" He asked accusingly.

A ghost of a smile played across the woman's lips and she moved toward the plane again. Ian stepped forward and snaked his arm across her front, blocking her path. She merely looked up to him with her head tilted to the side. The man moved toward the duo looking slightly concerned but the woman waved him off. The mystery woman continued to face toward the plane as Ian faced the hanger. Don barely heard Ian's voice as the cargo plane's engines started. "That was a hell of a shot."

"I'm sure it was" she replied. "I heard whoever took it was trained by the best." And she leaned in and pecked him on the check. Ian's arm dropped and she walked over to the plane. The doors closed the moment she boarded and the other man got into a waiting car.

"I'm getting real tired of asking this today but what the hell was that about Ian? Tell me that wasn't the CIA acting on US soil. And who the hell was that?"

Don had never seen Ian at a lost for words, but there he was, just staring at the plane, moth slightly agape. There was a mixture of confusion and anger clearly evident in the older agent's face. Don did a slight double take when pain flashed in the agent's eyes. But when Don had looked again it was gone, if it had ever been there to begin with. What he saw instead was the legend himself, squared jaw, sunglasses in place. With a huff the man turned on his heels and climbed back into the waiting SUV, leaving a confused Senior Agent to watch as the plane carrying the mystery woman took off.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Okay, I decided to play around with this one a little more. Let me know your thoughts!

* * *

As Ian tore into the bullpen, every agent frantically made themselves scarce or buried their head into their desk. Even Colby and David suddenly became very interested in Charlie's latest mathematical solution. The legendary sniper was usually calm and collected, but today, the anger was rolling off him in waves.

Don had tried unsuccessfully for over an hour to get Ian to talk about the woman in the mountains, but he gave up out of self preservation when Ian shot him a look making it clear Don was about to find himself thrown out of a moving vehicle. As Don trailed behind Ian, he shrugged his shoulders as his two agents shot him a questioning stare.

Ian slipped into the locker room and a quick glare sent the two agents in there scurrying out. He began pacing the short distance between the lockers, his mind jumping all over the place, buried memories clawing their way to the surface.

Ian's fist made contact with the metal locker, the sound reverberating in the tiny room. It did little to distract him. How the hell had he not seen it, seen traces of HER on that mountain. He had trained her for God sakes. Memories of being pressed up against her back, helping to adjust her stance as she raised her rifle trickled past his well built defenses.

Ian's head came to rest against the cool metal of the lockers. It unnerved him to acknowledge how deeply she was embedded under his skin. He had reacted on instinct when Don had raised his weapon at her, stepping in front of her without a second thought. Shit, he hadn't even see her in what was it, 5 years now? He had built up as many walls as he could after he cut ties with the Agency and walked away from her. Ian remembered how he threw himself back into his work with the FBI, going from hunt to hunt, occasionally stopping to blow off some steam with a woman who he would meet in a bar, and then going right back to it. He had buried her so deep that she shouldn't be able to have this effect on him after all this time.

But that smirk? It was his undoing. He nearly snarled and he sunk his teeth into his lower lip at the thought of wiping that smirk right off that porcelain face and replacing it with something entirely different as she came undone against a shower wall, hands pressed hard against the shower glass with him behind her placing kisses against her neck as be brought her over the edge again and again. He let his breath out in a whistle as he ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back against the locker as he allowed himself just a moment to relish the memory.

Ian hated to admit it but he was actually startled as the door to the locker room came crashing open, his head whipped violently around to stare down the intruder only to roll his eyes. Eppes. Of course it was Eppes, he couldn't just let this go could he.

"What do you want Don" he asked lazily.

"What do I? Seriously Ian, what do I want?" Don spat out. "We're up in the middle of God damn nowhere and some chick takes out McHugh, only to have the best tracker in the FBI step in front and let her get away?

"Aw Eppes I'm flattered."

Don rolled his eyes and Ian's wiseass grin. "Come on man, you owe me something."

"That's where you're wrong Eppes, I don't owe you anything. Let it go."

Ian's nochalant attitutude was starting to get the better of Don who was getting agitated again. "You mean to tell me I should just let a CIA agent operating on US soil go?"

Ian looked at Don incredulously. "We're you born yesterday Eppes?" Ian's eyebrows raised though his voice didn't. "You got a call from the director. You think that would have happened if they didn't have some kind of sign off for whatever the fuck that was back there on the mountain? You think you're entitled to some kind of explanation? You really think you're that high up the food chain huh?"

Ian stood up and sauntered toward the door throwing over his shoulder "and the CIA label was your words not mine."

When he didn't get the expected retort from Don he glanced back to see Don had gone still, a look of realization creeping onto his face. "You love her don't you?"

and fuck...Ian wasn't expecting that one. Was it really that easy to see? After all these years he thought he would hide it better.

Ian slowly closed the door he had been about to walk through. The bolt made a resounding thud as Ian locked the door. "As much as you can love a tornado Eppes" said Ian curtly.

Ian turned toward the younger man and raised his arms in a shrug, inviting Don to speak.

Don looked slightly concerned at the fact he was now essentially trapped with the FBI's go to sniper in a locked room after he had the audacity to allege Ian might actually have feelings. Ian struggled with being smug at Don's reaction and being slightly hurt to think that after all this time the AIC would consider Ian a threat to his person. But Ian knew the name of the game. In his line of work, being feared was a good thing. And it helped keep people at arms length. People that got to close had a way of getting hurt. A little fear was healthy, even a sign of respect for someone like him. But it still bothered him to see that fear, fleeting as it was, cross Don's face.

"I get I may not get an answer on what just went down. But we're friends man. You can talk to me about whats up with you. It stays here. Who is she?"

Were they friends? It wasn't a term Ian was used to hearing or bestowing. His life was pretty solitary. But Ian could admit he had a certain fondness for team Eppes and a certain curly haired professor who trailed after them. They had been nothing but welcoming to him even though Charlie had taken a hot minute to come around. And Ian could respect Don as a leader. He wasn't one of those cookie cutter agents. Come to think of it, Eppes and his team were probably the closest people Ian could call "friends" at the moment. Seeing her again and turned Ian's brain and stomach into knots. He knew he was looking at either going back to his crappy hotel and getting wasted, tracking down that shrink the FBI made him see occasionally, or sorting out the mess in his head with Eppes.

"Well this might take a while."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N so this is a long one. Tried to cover a lot at once. Hope it isn't too confusing! Reviews are always welcome! Major updates as of 4/3/18.

* * *

Ian sat down across from Don. "She's a force of nature. You almost feel sorry for the scum the Agency unleashes her on."

"You make her sound like a weapon" Don interjected.

"She is" replied Ian. "She was young to be recruited. But she tested off the charts. When the Agency realized what they had, they moved her into a specialized program. Taught her skills not normally taught to recruits. Knife fighting, how to be a …"

"Sniper" Don cut in.

"Who's telling this story Eppes? But yes. She chewed up and spit out every sniper instructor the agency had. She was verging on being one of the best the Agency could have, but she was young, cocky, impatient, and most of all, impulsive."

"Hailey," Don's head snapped up at finally getting the woman's name, "was amazing to watch. She was ruthlessly efficient. But she wasn't one to just wait around. She didn't see the upside of having her target come to her or waiting for them to step into her crosshairs. She didn't mind the risk of getting up close, but the agency preferred she stay alive as long as someone in her position could. Hence them wanting her to master sniper training."

Ian stared off into the lockers before continuing. "The problem with the other instructors is that they wanted to control her. To tell her everything she was doing wrong. They did a lot of talking and not a lot of showing. So Hailey showed them up every time. She needed someone to show her why taking a snipers approach could be better in some situations, how it helped hone every other sense in her body, proved how it made her better. She also needed to see it as a challenge. Something to best. That's where I came in."

"Wait, you were her instructor?" Don couldn't suppress his grin. "Why you sly dog."

Ian rolled his eyes, and was starting to question his judgment at bringing Eppes into this. He could be such a teenager sometimes. Ian gave Eppes credit for pulling it together though.

"Well, from what I saw on that mountain, I guess she took to it pretty well" Don said calmly.

Ian smirked. "Yeah, you could say that." Ian stared off again, memories whipping into view. He was struggling with where to go next with this story. What was there to say?

"So when did it become more?" Don asked.

Oh that, Ian thought. Of course Don would be interested in that. "We were training up in the mountains in Virginia. Decided to get her off campus for a couple days, see what she had learned. We ended up getting stuck in a freak downpour. Chopper couldn't land to get us out. There were mudslides, flooding. It was a fucked up mess so we had to take shelter. I was pissed, Hailey was gripping, and I found a way to shut her up. I was expecting to get punched, not kissed back."

Don chuckled.

A hell of a lot more than kissing took place on that mountain, but this wasn't a slumber party and he and Don weren't 15 year old girls. Had they been, the story would have made Don blush.

"Makes sense I guess" Don chimed in. "Sounds like she needed someone to challenge her, keep up with her, you could do that."

"The truth though Eppes is I didn't realize how much I needed it too. Someone that understood the lifestyle, someone that could keep up. Hell, she was addicting." Ian knew he had to cut this off. He and Don were about to start making friendship bracelets any minute now. "The trouble with addiction though is you can end up crashing."

"I didn't realize you worked for the Agency that much. So how long did this thing with Hailey go on? With how you reacted up there had to be somewhat serious. What happened?"

"I get loaned out occasionally. And as to the other questions, too long and I ended up walking away. I tried to hold on too tight I guess, but she wasn't mine to hold on to."

Don raised his eyes questioningly.

"Story for another day Don." And with that he turned and finally walked out of the locker room. It was on the drive back to the hotel that his cell phone started going off.

"Agent Edgerton." There was a pause at the other end and then a feminine voice broke through the silence.

"Well that was fun."

Ian pulled into the hotel and turned off the SUV. "What do you want Hailey?" He asked as he slung his riffle and pack over his shoulder and made his way into the hotel room. He should have known better than to think seeing her on the mountain after 5 years was going to be the end of it. Swinging the door open Ian's hand instinctively went for his sidearm as he caught sight of a figure perched on the edge of the windowsill.

Hailey snapped her phone shut. Her blue eyes met his, her brown hair as wild as ever.

"Can't a girl stop in and say hello?"

xxxx-xxxx

Ian paused for the length of a heartbeat, though it felt like it was going to fly out of his chest. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not a good idea to go surprising FBI agents in their rooms" Ian sighed.

"There was a time you wouldn't have minded" Hailey retorted.

"That was years ago Hailey." Ian threw his belongings onto the bed.

"Yeah, that's why you stepped in front of the other agent's gun. Because you couldn't stand the sight of me?"

Ian knew he'd get called out on that. "Never said I wanted you dead kid."

"Hmmm good to know." Hailey never took her eyes off of him as he moved his belongings about, as though she wasn't quite sure how he was going to react. The two were sizing each other up, careful.

Ian couldn't tell what she was thinking. Her emptions were usually all over her face. But she had clearly become more disciplined in the passing years. Why was she here? The last time they had spent any real time together it didn't end well. He had turned and walked out, with her shouting his name. She could be here for closure. Or was it simply to knock his lights out?

Ian was good at his job, and for a spit second he caught it. She didn't know why she was here either and she was now second-guessing her decision to come.

"This is ridiculous Hailey" Ian huffed and indicated she should sit. Preferable somewhere other than on the ledge eyeing him. Hailey reluctantly unfurled herself from her perch and moved to sit in the arm chair opposite the bed where Ian had decided to sit, arms folded across his chest. Neither of them spoke.

Ian's voice finally pierced the silence. "You're the one that broke into my hotel room." His voice urging her to speak her peace.

"You're the one that walked out after calling me a well trained attack dog." Hailey spit back, her anger beginning to flair.

Ian winced at the memory. He had said it in anger, trying to make a point. But it had come across wrong. Like so many things that night. So many things had needed to be said but nothing came out right or there were simply no words that could have conveyed everything that he had been feeling.

"After 5 years you want to dredge this up?"

"YES I want to dredge this up IAN." Hailey was on her feet and in his face. This was the tornado he remembered. "YOU LEFT." After everything you turned and walked out. Over one fucking op you LEFT."

Ian raised himself to his full height, easily towering over Hailey. He had intended to remain calm, but he wasn't going to sit there and take it either. "You think I left because of the Madrid Op? Honestly, if you think that then we were in worse trouble than I thought."

Hailey looked briefly confused by his statement but it didn't last long. "What the hell was I supposed to think Ian? You didn't exactly talk to me and when you finally did you made it sound like I was some animal that needed to be put down. It's not my fault if you have the emotional range of a two year old."

Ian moved quickly toward her, forcing her to back up against the wall but she stared at him defiantly, as if daring him to question her version of events. Well he was never one to deny her. His voice dropped into a low hiss. "You think I was going to stay and watch you get yourself killed? Every op you pushed the envelope further. Every crazy stunt you managed to survive only lead you to chase an even bigger high and the agency let you do it. You wouldn't let me pull you back from the ledge, hell, I don't think you even realized you were standing on one. Madrid was just the icing on the cake."

He turned away only to have two hands on his back shove him forward. If he thought she was mad before, she was livid now. "How dare you" she seethed. "Go ahead, make yourself out to be the hero of the story. The poor in over her head adrenaline junkie. No Ian, I was the best, HELL, I am the best the company has. I take the risk, I finish the mission. If I was a man instead of the former student you were screwing when convenient, you would be giving me an 'atta boy' instead of this 'you're taking too many risks' bull crap."

Ian's relatively calm demeanor fell apart. "Yeah, sure that's right. But then again they wouldn't have been the ones I was in love with now would they?" His words flew out like knives. Ian ran his hands through his hair and slumped down on the bed, choosing to rest his head in his hands for a minute. "Jesus Christ Hailey." His voice sounding more his normal level. For the first time in a long time he felt his age. "I respected the hell out of you. But there is a difference between calculated risk and a suicide mission, call me selfish but did you think maybe I just wanted you to survive? I wasn't trying to change you. I wanted something else for you, there's a difference. That life was going to catch up with you quick Hailey. It was catching up to me and I couldn't do it anymore. And maybe I had no right to ask it of you, to leave the Agency, but I didn't just walk out. I asked you to come with me. Be my partner at the Bureau. Do you have any idea what it would have been like to lose you?"

Not getting a response, Ian liked up and was suddenly concerned. Sophia was leaning against the wall, trying to catch a breath as though she had the wind knocked out of her. "You son of a bitch. After all this time. You day that to me?"

"What are you talking about?" What part had she taken offense with this time?

"You love me?" She spat out. Ian's head snapped up. The pain in her eyes was evident.

"What?" He asked, not sure if he had heard her right.

"Why would you tell me this now?"

Ian was shocked. This conversation had taken the turn he least expected. The agent part of his brain was telling him this was some kind of a ruse, something to get him to put his guard down so she could take advantage and hit hard. But the confusion on her face, the hint of water beginning to line her eyes, he knew that wasn't fake.

"Hailey, you had to have known." His voice was cautious, not sure what was quite going on.

"How was I supposed to know Ian?" She spat. "Not like you ever told me or anything."

"Of course I did." Ian stopped when she shook her head violently, forcefully wiping the tears that threatened to fall. She was desperately trying to keep herself in check, slowly loosing control of the situation. Could he really not have said it?

"Hailey, I..." And for the uptight time today, Ian was at a loss. "I must not have thought I needed to."

"Must not have thought?" came the strangled reply. "I was 23 when you left. I...I was good at so many things but this," she gestured between the two of them. "But..God I didn't know what we had. I didn't know what to make of it. I knew I loved you but I wasn't going to make more out of it if you weren't. I wasn't going to be 'that girl.' I decided I was fine having you in my life whatever we were, someone that understood me. I wasn't going to jeopardize it. But then you went and threw a damn grenade in."

She pushed off the wall and grabbed her bag. "It would have been nice to know. That's all."

She made to the door as Ian stood replaying this entire evening in his head. He suddenly found his legs again and grabbed her arm, pinning her against the wall and crashed his lips against hers. She pushed back against his chest and Ian felt the dampness on her cheek. He held her face in his hands, brushing the tears away. "I thought you knew."

"You're an idiot." And with that she wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him down against her lips once more.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Soooo…(insert grin here). It took me awhile to decide whether or not to post this as I have NEVER written a chapter like this before. It is **rated M** for obvious reasons so be warned.

* * *

A low growl escaped Ian as Hailey's fingers wound through his hair. All semblance of control was lost as he lifted her with ease and her long legs wrapped securely around his waist. They both came tumbling down onto the bed, limbs tangled in a knot. Shirts were removed with ruthless efficiency, but Ian suddenly put a halt to things as he nudged her onto her back. Hovering over her her, he looked down with a roguish grin. Her eyebrow arched in question, but she broke into a huge smile as he began kissing his way down her chest, stopping at the offending button to her jeans. He popped the button and slowly peeled the garment off of her, watching as her breath became shallow.

He had missed this. If he died right now he wouldn't mind one hands ghosted back up her legs to slip under the band of her underwear and slide those off as well. He sunk down to his knees, pulling her legs over his shoulders. Ian could feel her pulse pounding as he lightly nipped the spot above the femoral artery.

He felt Hailey's hand run through his hair to grip the back of his head, urging him to move where she wanted him to go. _Impatient as always_ Ian grinned to himself and swatted her hand away. This wasn't some quick and dirty against a wall while on a stake out. And he was determined to erase the thought of her being the "former student he screwed when convenient" from her mind. No, he was going to take all the time her wanted.

Hailey sighed in frustration and laid back down in dramatic fashion but Ian didn't miss the hitch in her breath as he ran his finger lightly against her folds. It may have been a few years since the last time he had her splayed out before him like this, but he still knew exactly how to play her, and my God she was as responsive as ever. His eyes lit up as he watched her back arch in reaction to him sinking his fingers inside her, a small hiss escaping her lips. He obliged her when she started cursing at him to put that "talented tongue" of his to use, but quickly had to use his free hand to pin her waist down to keep her from thrashing about.

"Ian!" His name was torn from her mouth as her body spasm around him and he felt a smile tugging on his lips. Knowing she would say something about his giant ego if she saw it, he focused his attention on kissing his way back up her body, as she crawled backward toward the headboard. Instead of settling himself between her legs, Ian suddenly found himself on his back as she used the fact she had him very much distracted to her advantage, and was now directly on top of him. The grin that threatened to escape before was now plastered all over his face as she tugged at his belt.

Ian raised his hips to allow her to pull of the belt in one fell swoop. He pulled off his shirt as she popped the buttons of his cargo pants. She shimmied the pants and his boxers halfway down his legs before moving back up towards his waist, putting her legs on either side of his hips. Ian had been rock hard from the moment he had kissed her, and watching her straddle his waist was bordering on being called torture. He thanked whatever god was listening for her impatience as she had barely teased her entrance before taking him all at once. Ian dug his fingers into her waist, which was likely to leave a bruise, as he threw his head back against the pillows.

"Fuuckkk….." he let out.

She didn't give him time to catch his breath and began to ride him hard. Her left hand was running between her chest and hair, while her right was planted against his chest using it as leverage to the slid up and down his length. Ian knocked her right hand off his chest causing her to lurch forward, enabling him to crush her mouth down on his, tongues battling for dominance. Ian used this moment to grip her hips and rolled them over, never separating except to finish kicking off his pants which had remained tangled around his calves.

He relished ever moan and cry that he elicited from her mouth as he buried himself in her. Her nails dug into his back as she came again. Ian didn't relent and his breath became ragged as he neared his own release. Through the fog that what building in his mind he saw her piercing blue eyes looking directly into his, and he matched her gaze as they engaged in the hottest kiss he could remember, finally collapsing into her arms.

When he was able to regain command of his senses, Ian slowly lifted his weight off of her, only to be stopped by Hailey who pulled him down again, running her fingers through his hair. After a few minutes of her absentmindedly run her fingers along his back and arms, his body started to ache in protest and he pulled her against him as he rolled onto his back. Her body melded against his and she rested her head against his chest. He huffed in amusement when he realized she was asleep, his ego not at all growing in size at the thought of having managed to exhaust his younger partner. Kissing the top of her head, he soon followed.

xxxx-xxxx

Ian came to a few hours later. The light from the streetlamp seeped through the blinds outlining the figure that was draped across his chest. For a moment, those five years had been erased but Ian came crashing back into reality as he caught himself reaching out to move her hair out of her face. His hand hovered just shy of her sleeping face as he squeezed his eyes shut. Had someone told him 24 hours ago that the day would end with the golden child of the CIA back in his bed, he would have had the person committed. 5 years of building up walls, and in an instant here she was, in his arms?

Ian didn't know how he had managed to overlook something as basic as telling this woman that he loved her. Looking back though he could see how it had happened. Many would describe his as a loan wolf, probably with a few other choice adjectives thrown in. Spending the time he did with Hailey, letting her past his defenses was his way of showing he cared. It was so obvious to him what she meant. But all of this was when he was on loan to the Agency. And with his usually stoic demeanor and singular focus on the hunt, he could see how things would have been murky for her. And hell she had been barely 20 when they first met, and was was being trained as a highly skilled asset. Not a lot of time in there for past relationships, or developing anything that would have prepared her to navigate their complicated mess.

He was just over 14 years her senior. He should have known better. But he knew he had been selfish. He had found someone that understood who he was and had a drive that mirrored his own. In his line of work it was rare. The age difference as something he usually forgot about, except when her temper flared. She acted and handled herself in a way that was far beyond her years. But it was partly due to a hazard of the job. Coming into the field at her age, she missed out on many of the things Ian probably took for granted.

Ian took some comfort knowing she would have walked away if she had wanted. She wasn't a pushover, and would have put him in his place if she found it necessary, looked what had happened five years ago. But not catching this whole avoidable mess sooner was on him. It bothered him that she had ever thought he had thought any less of her that what she was to him. When Ian had suggested she walk away, even if it was to another job that was challenging in its own right, the offer of it would have likely been the last straw for Hailey. She was top dog at the agency. The one they sent out when no one else would do, with very little rules. Ian was brought in as a teacher and a consultant. And they raised holy hell together, and had a lot of a lot of fun along the way. Leaving that all behind to play second fiddle to Ian at a domestic agency where she would be under scrutiny was not what the younger asset had in mind. Ian had thought she had picked the job over him. But if she had thought he may not care for her like he did, the offer would have seem little more than a power move. He could see how everything got fucked up. He couldn't change the past.

He let out a repressed sigh knowing he was letting his mind get the better of him. It wasn't much use to go down this road again. Not at this particular moment anyway. He'd rather enjoy possibly the last moments he had left with her curled against him. Who knew what tomorrow would bring. He cautiously moved the offending strand of hair that had been bothering him out of her face. The movement caused her to stir slightly and Ian would deny that he tightened his grip around her. It was all so damn frustrating. Despite the chaos in their lives, their seemingly identical yet very different jobs, her impulsiveness, stubbornness, and everything else that drove him mad, he loved her. She had managed to get past every defense, every last bit of his sensibility.

His internal rant was stymied when he felt a hand ghost across his chest, tracing the outline of an old scar. He should have known better to think she was so asleep as to not pick up on the war raging in his mind. She had an uncanny knack for picking up on the things Ian would rather hide. Rushing to fend off the coming reality of the evening events, Ian gripped the duvet and brought it up over both of them and brought her wandering hand up to his lips. She thankfully settled down and Ian could tell she had drifted back off, granting them both a few more hours of bliss before the morning, and whatever it was going to bring with it.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Last chapter. Short, sweet, and a little sappier than I intended :)

Ian woke much later than normal. It was already 6:30. His hand stretched out, searching the bed for Hailey only to find it empty. He sat up, momentarily concerned that she had panicked and left. But he relaxed when he heard the shower.

He stood in the doorway watching her, assuring himself that she was still really here. He had no more clarity now than he did last night. Well she hadn't rabbited in the middle of the night, so that's a start. But the ferocity at which she was washing her hair told him that she had a lot on her mind. Well, no better time than this he thought to see where they stood. She had not acknowledged his presence, but as he opened the shower door she reached out behind her and grasped his hand, pulling both of his arms around her and leaned into his chest.

After a very enjoyable shower, Hailey set to the task of wrangling her unruly hair. Ian decided to see if he could make use of the small kitchen, he had made due with worse. He chuckled as Hailey managed to emerge right at the moment the bacon hit the pan, and as she came over to investigate he found himself looking at her smiling face. Knowing exactly what she after he indulged her by giving her a preview bite from the spatula. He almost came undone at the sound of her moan as she snagged her prize. She wound around him to sit on the counter, patiently waiting for him to finish.

They ate their breakfast in silence. So far, no actual words had been spoken by either of them. Hailey spoke first, and steered clear of the elephant in the room. "It was delicious."

"I'm surprised you haven't starved yet." He looked up teasingly.

"Hey, I can cook."

"You burnt macaroni and cheese, from a box, on the stove."

She grinned sheepishly at the memory. "Fine, I'm very adept at ordering take out."

Ian caught her continuous glances up to him. If he was going to get to the LA Field Office on time, he was going to have to be the one to bring it up. Eppes was likely to call out the cavalry if he didn't show up after yesterday, likely assuming he had drunk himself into a stupor somewhere.

"So." Her eyes lit up.

"So," she replied.

"Langley isn't all that far from Quantico."

"Figure that out all on your own?" Ian rolled his eyes. "So" he continued and reached for her hand, pulling her around the table to straddle his lap. "Let's see where this goes hmm?"

She nodded. "I like that idea." His hand brushed her cheek and she leaned into it. "I care about you very much. Don't ever doubt it." She nodded again and brought her mouth down to his. Turning his head he whispered in her ear what he should have said many years ago. "I. Love. You."


End file.
